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Kathy tucked a stray hair behind her ear, looking up into the car mirror as she checked her lipstick. Her lips quirked up as she saw another, albeit tinier and chubbier, face in the mirror. She turned back to look at her wee son, who was bundled in his puffy coat and sitting quietly in his carseat, gazing at the trees that passed them by.
“Are ye excited to see yer grandparents for the first time, Jamie?” Kathy asked, prompting the wain in question to look up at her. James responded with a coo, before turning back to look out the window at whatever his attention was caught on.
“Aye, me too,” Kathy muttered, pulling up to a eggshell-coloured house. She sighed, looking in the mirror once more, before unbuckling her seatbelt and exiting the car. She opened the back door, taking her wain into her arms, fixing the woollen cap on his head and putting his hood on for extra protection against the biting cold. Kathy walked up the pathway to the door, her heels clicking behind her. She tentatively knocked on the wooden door, glancing down at the wain in her arms, who was completely oblivious to his mother’s nervousness.
The door suddenly opened to reveal a young, dark-haired woman, holding her own wain in her arms. Deidre squinted her eyes at her sister, mouth in a thin line.
“Kathy”.
“Deirdre,” Kathy responded, lips pursed, “Alright then?”
“Aye, as well I can be,” Her sister responded, much more casually this time and with less coldness. Kathy’s eyes looked down at the curly-haired bundle in her sister’s arms, wearing a bright yellow onesie, decorated in animated ducks.
“Is this yer wain, then?”
“Aye,” Deidre responded with the smallest of smiles, “Michelle, so her name is”.
“Michelle, that’s a lovely name,” Kathy smiled at the wee girl, who only looked at her in response.
“And yer wee lad?”
“James,” Kathy tightened her hold on her son, who was curled into her shoulder, “Say hi to yer Auntie, James”. James stared at the other woman, who smiled at him. Despite the warm welcome, he only buried his face further into his mother’s shoulder, squeezing his eyes shut.
“Shy un then is he?” Deirdre chuckled.
“Aye, he can be a real quiet dote when he wants to”.
“Come in then, or you two’ll catch yer death out here,” Deidre beckoned them both inside, shutting the door behind them. James let out a content sigh, happy to be out of the pinching cold, prompting the two women to smile at him.
“Is that Kathy?” A woman’s voice rung out from the kitchen.
“Aye mammy!” Deidre called back. An older woman suddenly appeared from out of the kitchen, grey hair pulled back and a warm, yearnful expression. She rushed towards her youngest daughter, who was putting her coat away on the rack.
“Ach, Kathy,” Siobhan Maguire, said in a quiet tone.
“Hello, Mammy,” Kathy responded, feeling a bit awkward. It was only a few seconds of staring at each other, before the older woman enveloped her estranged daughter in her arms.
“It’s been too long ye feckin eejit,” Siobhan whispered, eyes shut, “Ye can’t even come to visit yer poor aul Mam every once in a while?”
“I’m sorry Mammy, I’ve just been a bit busy,” Kathy shrugged. Her mother only tutted in response, before looking over at the wain in her daughter’s arms.
“Oh my,” She grinned, “And who do we have here?”
“This is James, Mammy”. The elder woman took the lad into her arms, who seemed to accept it without fuss. The wain peered up at his grandmother, her crinkled, gentle brown eyes looking back.
“Now would ye look at that head of hair,” Siobhan cooed, running her fingers through Jame’s wild, dark curls, “I’m telling ye, the Maguire genes are strong.” She looked over at Michelle, with her similarly wild bush of hair, albeit tied back into two small pigtails.
“I need to take off his coat, Mammy,” Kathy said, beckoning for her son back.
“Ach, don’t ye worry yerself, I’ll do it,” Siobhan responded, taking off Jame’s coat in a swift motion that echoed her years of experience, revealing a light blue onesie similar to Michelle’s, only with animated frogs this time. Siobhan hummed as she took James into the living room, where her husband and son-in-law sat, chatting. The two men got up as she walked her, the elder of them smiling widely at the sight of the wee lad in his wife’s arms.
“Is this our Kathy’s wain then?” Aodhan beamed.
“Aye, James, wee James Maguire, “ His wife responded with pride, passing on the lad to her husband.
“Well, hello there Jamesie,” The older man crooned, as his son-in-law came up beside him, “Would ye look at him, Martin, isn’t he the spit of our Kathy?”
“Aye, so he is,” Martin replied, a small smile on his face as he poked one of James’ chubby cheeks.
“Did ye give him a middle name, Kathy?” Deidre asked.
“Aye, Z” Kathy responded, as her sister’s face scrunched up.
“What, just like the letter?” Deidre asked in disbelief.
“I liked the idea of a middle name starting with Z, I just couldn’t think of any names so I went with the letter,” She shrugged. Deidre could only shake her head at her sister’s antics.
Meanwhile, Michelle was sat on the floor, surrounded by colourful blocks. One of them, she held in her chubby hand. She watched the adults coo and fuss over the new addition to the family, but didn’t appear to mind as she was happy enough on her own. Her older brother, Niall, was sat on the couch, engrossed in his cartoons.
“Niall, why don’t ye come see yer wee cousin?”
“I don’t like babies,” The boy grumbled, “and I’m watchin’ my show, Ma”. Deidre only sighed in response, deciding it was better not to fight her eldest on the matter.
“Why don’t we all sit down?” Siobhan suddenly said, “I’ve just put the kettle on”. The adults all voiced their agreement on the matter, going over to the couches.
“Alright, James, why don’t ye play with yer cousin?” Aodhan said, setting James down on the carpet next to Michelle. James seemed to look around with curiosity at his surroundings, taking in all the new sights of this strange place he was in. Michelle was engrossed in her blocks, before she turned around to get a yellow one from behind her, and caught a glimpse of the lad suddenly next to her. James looked back at her, green eyes widened. The two stared at each other, seeming confused by the other person.
“I don’t think either of them have ever seen another wain in their life,” Martin chuckled. The two cousins continued to stare in silence, processing the others' existence.
“Ah!” Michelle spoke first, waving her hand in front of her cousin.
“Ah!” James squealed back in response, seeming surprised by the sound of his own voice.
Martin snorted at the sight, prompting the two wains to swiftly turn their heads to look at him. He didn’t hold their attention for long before they turned back to look at each other. Michelle babbled something incoherent, marking her words with a wave of her tiny hands. James stared for a second, before descending into his own babbling, shaking his head as he responded to whatever it was Michelle seemed to be saying.
This set off a few minutes of the two cousins babbling and cooing at each other, as the grownups watched in amusement. Their wee arms moved around as they ‘spoke’, seeming to express their points further.
“Seems they’re having their own wee conversation” Deirdre mused.
“What do you suppose they’re talking about?” Kathy said.
“Something very important and serious, it seems,” Siobhan determined.
“Michelle, why don’t ye show yer Auntie and cousin yer new doll?” Deirdre said to her daughter, turning to her sister, “I’m telling ye, she’s absolutely lurred about the thing, takes it with her wherever she goes”. Kathy chuckled at the thought. “Go on then, Michelle”.
Michelle pulled herself up, using the coffee table as an aid. She waddled over into the hallway, seemingly towards wherever she had left her doll. Michelle suddenly turned around, looking at her cousin who was still sat on the floor. She squealed with the wave of a tiny hand. The adults all ‘aww’ed’ at the sight.
“Go on then Jamie, ye don’t see yer cousin calling for ye?” Siobhan cooed. James looked up at her, before looking back at his older cousin down the hallway. He attempted a similar move, using the coffee table to hoist himself up. He let go of the aid, but only stood still. He took a tentative step, but fell flat onto his bottom. James fussed a bit, bottom lip sticking out in frustration. Eventually, he got over himself, and stuck his two hands out onto the floor, breaking out in a swift crawl as he followed behind his older cousin.
“Is he not walking yet then Kathy?” Siobhan asked, getting a shake of the head in response.
“Ye don’t think he’s far behind do ye?” Kathy asked, turning to her nurse sister. “Not developing properly, like?”
“Ach, no,” Deirdre shook her head, “Michelle’s about 16 months now and only recently started herself, James is hardly a year old he’ll get walking soon enough”.
“Ah, that’s good then, I was a bit worried,” Kathy sighed.
The family were all seated around the table, about to tuck into their tea. Michelle and James were seated in high chairs next to each other, bibs around their necks. Their conversation from earlier had not ended, as they continued to babble to each other. A few blocks were placed on their wee tables, as they were making a small structure out of them.
“Goodness, but they’ve got a lot to say haven't they?” Siobhan smiled, putting down a dish in the center.
“Seems so,” Deidre replied.
“I’m glad they get along so easily,” Kathy smiled, “Usually James doesn’t care to play with other wains, he’s always preferred being on his own”.
“Aye, well Michelle can’t seem to get enough of other wains,” Deidre said, “Doesn’t mean she’s nice to ‘em though”.
“Huh?”
“I can’t tell ye how many times she’s pulled the hair of the Devlin’s wee girl,” Deidre sighed, “Always sending the poor critter into tears”.
“Ach, Deidre, she doesn’t know any better, at least she’s always remorseful afterwards,” Martin came to his daughter’s defense.
“Aye, that is true,” Deirdre shrugged.
Despite her father’s defense, Michelle seemed to want to live up to her mischievous nature her mother just claimed, and began pounding her wee fists into the table, making the blocks jump around.
“Michelle, careful there…” Deidre warned. The girl in question didn’t listen, continuing to slam her fists down, babbling louder and louder each time.
“Michelle, love, that’s enough now…” Her father said, with less conviction than his wife. To wee Michelle, it might have been as though her parents weren’t even in the room. She continued her onslaught, until a block was hit hard enough to go flying into the stew, sending splashes of it everywhere onto Siobhan’s good table cloth.
“Michelle! That’s enough of that!” Deidre scolded.
“Michelle…”
The grownups all stopped talking, turning to look at James, who gripped a block of his own in his hand, holding it out towards his older cousin. He didn’t seem at all phased by what he’d just said.
“Well, would ye look at that,” Deirdre whispered, turning to look at her sister, who’s expression was the most shocked of everyone there, “Ach, Kathy, that wasn’t…?”
“It was,” she confirmed, her wide eyes fixed on James.
“Wait, what?” Martin said.
“That was his first word? Really?” Siobhan exclaimed. “I can’t believe it!” Aodhan grinned next to his wife, looking at his grandson with pride.
“Michelle!” James cooed again, waving around the block. The girl in question turned back to look at him, accepting the toy he held out for her, and promptly placing it on top of their small structure. James giggled in response, clapping his hands.
“I can’t believe that was his first word,” Deidre laughed. Kathy grinned back in response, looking at her son, who was clapping excitedly at his cousin’s antics.
“James, what a clever lad ye are!” Siobhan said.
“James!”
Everyone in the room grew more shocked as Michelle emphasized her statement with a stubby finger pointed at the wain in question.
“No way…” Martin gaped.
“Aye, that’s James so it is,” Deidre nodded with a chuckle. Michelle seemed satisfied by this confirmation, putting down her pointed finger. James didn’t register the finger at all, only watching his cousin put together another wooden structure.
“Wasn’t that the first thing she’s said too, Deirdre?” Siobhan asked.
“Aye, at least the first word I could make out”.
“That is just precious, isn’t it?” Martin said with a smile, “Their first words bein’ each other's names.”
“Aye, just about the cutest thing ever” Kathy remarked, putting her head into her hand. She and her sister shared an amused look, until her eyes shone with a glint of mischief for a moment. “Well, ye know Deidre, Michelle might’ve been walking first, but my Jamesie’s the first to talk so he is!”
“Ach, feck off, Kathy…”